If you’ve ever gone down a rabbit hole researching travel expert Rick Steves, chances are the name Anne Steves has come up. And it’s easy to wonder — who exactly is she, and why is she so hard to find information about?
Anne Steves is Rick Steves’ former wife. While Rick has spent decades on television, in bookstores, and leading tours across Europe, Anne has lived a completely different kind of life — private, grounded, and firmly out of the spotlight. Her story is genuinely worth understanding, not because she’s famous, but because of what her choices say about her.
Let’s walk through what we actually know.
Who Is Anne Steves?
Anne Steves is best known as the ex-wife of Rick Steves, the travel writer and host of Rick Steves’ Europe. She’s also a registered nurse — a detail that gets glossed over in most write-ups, but one that actually tells you a lot about the kind of person she is. She built a career around patient care, not public attention.
Anne grew up in Snohomish, Washington, in what sounds like a practical, community-rooted environment. She and Rick share two adult children: Andy and Jackie Steves, both of whom have gone on to work in the travel world in their own right.
She has never appeared on Rick’s shows, never given interviews, and has no verified public social media accounts. Most of what we know about her comes from brief, respectful mentions in Rick’s own reflections over the years.
Quick note on misinformation: There are unverified photos and fake social media accounts online claiming to be Anne Steves. None of them is confirmed. Be careful with what you find — there are no verified photos of her in public circulation.
Anne Steves and Rick Steves: Their Marriage
Rick and Anne met in the Seattle area in the late 1970s or early 1980s. By the time Rick had started leading small budget tours through Europe, they were building a life together based on shared values — family, service, and a genuine interest in the world.
They married in 1984 in a private ceremony.
In the early years, Anne was deeply involved behind the scenes. She raised the kids, kept the household running in Edmonds, Washington, and provided the kind of steady home base that let Rick travel for months at a time. She also shared his interest in social causes — the family was involved in local charitable work, including housing projects for women in need.
That dynamic — one person constantly on the road, the other anchoring everything at home — is something a lot of families will recognise. It doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. Sometimes two decent people just grow in different directions over time.
It’s a situation not entirely unlike what Elizabeth Huberdeau experienced — a spouse who quietly held things together while a partner’s public career expanded, only for the marriage to eventually run its course.
A Simple Timeline of Their Marriage and Divorce
Sometimes it helps to just see things laid out clearly:
- Late 1970s / early 1980s: Anne and Rick meet in the Seattle area
- 1984: They marry in a private ceremony
- 1984–2010: Anne raises their two children and supports the household while Rick builds his travel brand
- 2010: Divorce finalised in Snohomish County, Washington
- 2010 onward: Anne steps back from public life entirely; Rick continues his career
Their Divorce: What Happened?
The divorce was finalised in 2010, after roughly 26 years of marriage. By all accounts, it was handled with maturity. No public drama, no bitter legal battles, no tell-all interviews. Rick has spoken openly about how his relentless travel schedule put real strain on the marriage — it’s genuinely difficult to keep a relationship healthy when one person is essentially living out of a suitcase for months at a time.
According to court records from Snohomish County, the terms were kept private. Rick has mentioned that they worked things out through mediation rather than adversarial legal proceedings. For two people navigating the end of a long marriage, that’s a meaningful choice.
Washington is a community property state, which means assets earned during the marriage are typically divided 50/50. It’s worth clarifying what that actually means: it applies to wealth built between 1984 and 2010 — not to Rick’s pre-marriage assets or anything he’s earned since the divorce. Given that a significant portion of his success was built during those years, Anne likely received a substantial settlement. The exact figure was never made public.
Did Rick Steves Remarry After Anne?
Yes. Rick Steves remarried after the divorce. He has not shared extensive details about his second marriage publicly, keeping that chapter of his life relatively quiet as well.
Anne, for her part, has not remarried — at least not publicly. There is no information suggesting she has.
Does Anne Steves Travel?
That’s genuinely hard to say. During her marriage to Rick, she certainly travelled more than most people. But she was never the type to document it or turn it into content.
Based on how Rick has described her over the years, it seems reasonable to think she still travels — just on her own terms. No film crew, no tight itineraries, no social media updates. Just going somewhere because she wants to.
That’s actually a nice counterpoint to Rick’s fast-paced, every-city-has-a-purpose style. Some people thrive on 10 cities in 14 days. Others want to sit somewhere quiet and just be present. Both are valid ways to see the world.
Why No Photos or Interviews Exist
This comes up a lot, and it’s worth addressing directly. Anne Steves has never sought media attention, never worked in a public-facing role through Rick’s company, and has no documented public profiles. She had no reason to build a media presence, and she clearly had no interest in doing so.
She’s not hiding — she’s just chosen not to participate. In a world where visibility is treated like a goal in itself, that kind of deliberate quiet is actually pretty unusual. Similar choices have been made by other spouses of well-known figures, like Fran Beer, who has similarly stayed well clear of any public profile despite a connection to someone in the spotlight.
Rick Steves’ Net Worth and the Divorce Settlement
As of 2025, Rick Steves’ net worth is estimated at around $75–$100 million. That wealth comes from his guidebooks, Rick Steves’ Europe on public television, radio programming, and his tour company.
Because the divorce agreement was private, the exact settlement amount was never disclosed. Washington’s community property law meant assets earned during the marriage were likely split evenly — and given how much of Rick’s empire was built between 1984 and 2010, that’s a meaningful figure.
What’s worth noting is that whatever Anne received gave her complete financial independence. She’s never needed to write a book, chase sponsorships, or do podcast interviews to stay afloat. That’s probably a significant reason she’s been able to stay genuinely private all these years. Financial independence makes real privacy possible.
Life After Divorce: Where Is Anne Steves Now?
Anne Steves continues to live in the Pacific Northwest, not far from where she raised her children. She’s stayed close to Andy and Jackie, both of whom remain involved in travel in different ways — Andy through his own tour company, Weekend Student Adventures (WSA Europe), and Jackie as a travel writer and editor who has co-authored guidebooks with her father.
Anne’s day-to-day life is believed to centre on her nursing work, family, and low-key community involvement — the same priorities she’s always had. No public projects, no brand partnerships, no interviews. Just a self-directed life built around what she actually values.
What Anne Steves Has Said Publicly
Almost nothing.
There are no quotes from Anne Steves in major publications. She hasn’t written a memoir or appeared on a podcast. She hasn’t addressed the divorce, the settlement, or her current life in any public way.
Some people read that silence as mysterious. I read it as completely deliberate. She decided a long time ago that her life wasn’t a story she needed to tell publicly — and she’s stuck to that.
It’s the kind of consistency you don’t see often. Most people connected to someone famous eventually say something. Anne never has. That tells you something about who she is.
What Her Story Actually Shows Us
Anne Steves isn’t trying to be a role model or a public figure. She’s a nurse, a mother, and a private individual who happened to be married to someone very famous for a long time. What makes her story worth reading isn’t the fame-by-association — it’s the choices she’s made throughout.
She built a real career in healthcare. She raised two kids who turned out well. She supported a demanding partner without losing her own identity in the process. And when the marriage ended, she stepped back into a quiet life without turning the experience into content.
In my experience, that kind of quiet consistency is actually harder than it looks. It requires knowing who you are and being comfortable with that — without needing anyone else to validate it.
The same quality shows up in people like Brian Goldberg, who has similarly navigated life adjacent to public recognition without chasing it.
Final Thoughts
Anne Steves made a choice that not many people in her position make: she stayed private. Completely, consistently, year after year. No book deals, no interviews, no social media presence built on a famous last name.
She raised two children who found their own paths in the world. She built a career in nursing around actually helping people. And when her marriage ended after 26 years, she handled it quietly and moved forward.
You won’t find many quotes from her. You won’t find verified photos. What you’ll find, if you look closely, is a person who always seemed to know what mattered to her — and never let anyone else’s spotlight change that.
FAQs
Is Anne Steves married now?
There’s no public information suggesting Anne has remarried. She appears to be living a private, independent life in Washington state.
Does Anne Steves work for Rick Steves’ Europe?
No. She has never been listed as an employee of Rick’s travel company and doesn’t appear in any of his shows or guidebooks.
What do Anne Steves’ kids do?
Her son, Andy Steves, runs Weekend Student Adventures (WSA Europe), a budget travel company for students. Her daughter, Jackie Steves, is a travel writer and editor who has co-authored guidebooks with her father.
Why did Rick and Anne Steves divorce?
Rick has spoken openly about how the demands of his career — constant travel, filming, and writing — put real pressure on the marriage. After 26 years, they chose to separate. The split was handled privately and without public conflict.
How much did Anne Steves get in the divorce settlement?
The exact figure was never made public. Washington is a community property state, so assets earned during the marriage were likely divided equally. Given the scale of Rick’s career during those years, it was almost certainly a substantial amount.
Why are there no verified photos of Anne Steves online?
Anne has never participated in public media, doesn’t have verified social media accounts, and has kept her life entirely private. Any photos claiming to be her online are unverified.
Did Rick Steves remarry?
Yes. Rick remarried after the divorce. He has kept the details of his second marriage relatively private as well.
